By Scott Powers, Mark Lazerus and Jeremy Rutherford
CHICAGO — The spectacle of an NHL rink wedged between the first- and third-base lines at Wrigley Field did not disappoint at Tuesday’s Winter Classic, a capacity crowd braving chilling rain and biting wind to take in the view, the fireworks and a brief Smashing Pumpkins concert. The Blackhawks arrived on the L train, leaving the Addison stop with their skates slung over their shoulders like kids marching out to the pond. The weather (mostly) cleared just in time, everything proceeded on schedule, and the NHL really couldn’t have asked for much more.
Then the puck dropped.
The environment was pristine, but the game was lopsided and choppy as the Blackhawks and Blues did what the Blackhawks and Blues do in the league’s signature regular-season event. St. Louis scored two early power-play goals and never looked back, cruising to a 6-2 victory. St. Louis is now 3-0 in the Winter Classic and Chicago is 0-5.
Here are some takeaways:
Cam Fowler, who was No. 12 overall pick by the Anaheim Ducks in 2010, played 991 games for the organization before being traded to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 14.
Fowler’s wife, Jasmine, pointed out that his 1,000th NHL game would be at the Winter Classic in Chicago.
“The whole day is going to…
